The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) relies on disability statistics to further research and policy initiatives to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Keeping track of data employment and unemployment, as well as people who are not in the labor force, is critical to developing new policies that help increase the employment rate among this population.

The Current Population Survey (CPS), sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is the primary source of labor force statistics for the population of the U.S. It provides comprehensive data on employment and unemployment rates, persons not in the labor force, hours of work, earnings and other demographic and workforce characteristics. These data provide citizens and policymakers with reliable, accurate information on a topic of vital importance to America's economy.

According to BLS, in 2016, 17.9 percent of persons with a disability were employed. By contrast, the employment-population ratio for people without a disability was 65.3 percent.